US20110197224A1 - Methods and Apparatus For Selecting Advertisements For Output By A Television Receiver Based on Social Network Profile Data - Google Patents

Abstract

Techniques are provided herein for selecting advertisements for output by a television receiver based on social network profile data associated with a user of the television receiver. A user of a television receiver is associated with a social network profile. Social network profile data associated with the social network profile is processed to select advertisements for output by the television receiver in association with other content output by the television receiver.

Description

BACKGROUND
• Television receivers, such as cable or satellite television receivers, receive and output content for presentation by a television or other type of presentation device. Typically, content received and output by the television receiver includes advertisements interspersed within the content. In order to get the most value for their money, advertisers select programs which are most likely to have appeal to their key demographics. For example, a home improvement store advertisement for power tools is more likely to appeal to men than women. Thus, the home improvement store will advertise the power tools during programs which appeal to men, such as sporting events, rather than programs which appeal more to women, such as soap operas. While such advertising techniques have been used for decades, advertisers desire more granular targeting of advertising which is more likely to appeal to the relevant consumers. For example, a butcher shop may not want to spend money advertising to a vegetarian, because such a viewer is unlikely to visit the butcher shop to purchase items featured in the advertisement. Thus, it would be desirable for content providers and advertisers to target advertisements towards consumers who are most likely interested in the product being advertised.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• The same number represents the same element or same type of element in all drawings.
• FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a communication system.
• FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of an input audio/video stream received by the television receiver ofFIG. 1.
• FIGS. 3-4 illustrate embodiments of audio/video streams output by the television receiver ofFIG. 1.
• FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of the advertising server ofFIG. 1.
• FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a DVR.
• FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a process for identifying television advertisements for output by a television receiver.
• FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of a process for presenting a recorded audio/video stream.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• The various embodiments described herein generally provide apparatus, systems and methods which facilitate the reception, processing, and outputting of audio/video (A/V) content. More particularly, described herein are techniques for selecting supplemental content, such as advertisements, for presentation in association with live or recorded audio/video content. For example, supplemental content, such as advertisements, may be inserted into various locations within an audio/video stream by a television receiver during output to a presentation device. The advertisements may be selected based on social network profile data associated with the viewer, such as profile data, status updates, friend information, user comments and the like. In short, described herein are systems, methods and apparatus for selecting advertisements for output by a television receiver based on social network profile data.
• In at least one embodiment, an audio/video stream to be received, processed, outputted and/or communicated may come in any format of audio/video content. Exemplary audio/video stream formats include Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) standards, Flash, Windows Media and the like. It is to be appreciated that the audio/video stream may be supplied by any source, such as an over-the-air (OTA) broadcast, a satellite or cable television distribution system, an internet protocol television (IPTV) distribution system, a digital video disk (DVD) or other optical disk, the internet or other communication networks and the like. While the techniques illustrated herein are described in the context of an audio/video stream, it is to be appreciated that the techniques may also be applied to the processing and output of other types of media content, such as audio streams or video streams.
• In at least one embodiment, an advertising server processes social network profile data received from a social networking server to select advertisements for presentation by a television receiver. The advertising server then transmits a message to the television receiver specifying the advertisements to be output by the television receiver. In at least one embodiment, the functionality of the advertising server and the social networking server may be combined into a single physical or logical device. For example, the social networking server may process profile data of users stored thereupon to select advertisements for presentation by the television receiver. The social networking server may then transmit a message to the television receiver specifying the advertisements to be output by the television receiver.
• At least one embodiment provides a method of identifying television advertisements for output by a television receiver. The method includes receiving information, at an advertising server, identifying a social network profile associated with a user of a television receiver. The information may be provided to the advertising server from any source, such as the television receiver, the social networking server or any other device, including a computer, mobile telephone or the like. The method further includes receiving social network profile data, associated with the social network profile, at the advertising server and processing the social network profile data, at the advertising server, to identify at least one advertisement for output by the television receiver. The method also includes transmitting information, specifying the identified advertisement, to the television receiver. The television receiver operates to output the identified advertisement in association with other content responsive to the message.
• In at least one embodiment, a television receiver may operate to process social network profile data, received from a social networking server or input to the television receiver by a user, to select advertisements for output in association with live or recorded content. For example, the television receiver may provide an interface for a user to access/update their social network profile. The television receiver may then transmit the user input or profile updates derived therefrom to the social networking server for further processing. The television receiver may also process the social network profile input provided by the user to select advertisements for output to the user. In at least one embodiment, the television receiver may also receive social network profile data from the social networking server and process the received data to select advertisements for output by the television receiver.
• At least one embodiment provides a digital video recorder (DVR) operable to select advertisements, for output in association with other content, based on processing of social network profile data. The DVR includes a communication interface that receives and stores an audio/video stream or other type of content (e.g., audio content or video content). The audio/video stream includes at least one segment of a program and at least one interstitial (e.g., an advertisement, news alert, public service message or television preview) of the program. The communication interface is further operable to receive social network profile data associated with a user of the DVR. The DVR also includes a storage medium operable to store audio/video data and/or other data for utilization by the DVR. The DVR also includes control logic operable to coordinate storage of the audio/video stream onto the storage medium and receive a request from a user to playback the audio/video stream. The control logic is further operable to process the social network profile data to identify an advertisement for output in association with the audio/video stream. The control logic then coordinates the output of the audio/video stream and the output of the advertisement in association with the audio/video stream for presentation by the presentation device.
• FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of acommunication system100. Thecommunication system100 includes acontent source102, a television distribution system104, atelevision receiver106, apresentation device108, acommunication network110, asocial networking server112 and an advertising server114. Each of these components will be discussed in greater detail below. Thecommunication system100 may include other components, elements or devices not illustrated for the sake of brevity.
• Thecontent source102 is operable for receiving, generating and communicating content to one ormore television receivers106. The content to be received, processed, outputted and/or communicated may come in any of various forms including, but not limited to, audio, video, audio/video, data, information, or otherwise. In at least one embodiment, thecontent source102 is operable for receiving various forms and types of content from other sources, aggregating the content and transmitting the content to thetelevision receiver106 through the television distribution system104. It is to be appreciated that thecontent source102 may receive practically any form and/or type of information from one or more sources including streaming television programming, recorded audio, audio/video or video content, electronic programming guide data and the like.
• The television distribution system104 is operable to transmit content from thecontent source102 to thetelevision receiver106. The television distribution system104 may comprise any type of wired (e.g., cable and fiber) and/or wireless (e.g., cellular, satellite, microwave, and other types of radio frequency) communication medium and any desired network topology (or topologies when multiple mediums are utilized). Exemplary television distribution systems104 include terrestrial, cable, satellite and internet protocol television (IPTV) distribution systems. In at least one embodiment, the television distribution system104 broadcasts or multicasts content to a plurality of television receivers, e.g., thetelevision receiver106. The television distribution system104 may also distribute content to a specificaddressable television receiver106, such as video-on-demand content and the like. In at least one embodiment, thecontent source102 may be embodied as a transmission facility of the television distribution system104.Exemplary content sources102 include over-the-air (OTA) terrestrial transmission facilities, cable television distribution head-ends, satellite television uplink centers, broadband or internet servers and the like.
• Thetelevision receiver106 is operable to receive content from the television distribution system104 and output the received content for presentation by thepresentation device108. In at least one embodiment, thepresentation device108 is a display device (e.g., a television) configured to display content to auser116. Thetelevision receiver106 may receive an audio/video stream in any format (e.g., analog or digital format) and output the audio/video stream for presentation by thepresentation device108. In at least one embodiment, thetelevision receiver106 is a set-top box (e.g., a satellite television receiver, cable television receiver, terrestrial television receiver, internet protocol television (IPTV) receiver or any other type of receiver/converter box) or other similar device that processes and provides one or more audio and/or video output streams to thepresentation device108 for presentation to theuser116. Thetelevision receiver106 may be further configured to output menus and other information that allow theuser116 to control the output of audio/video content by thetelevision receiver106, view electronic programming guides, set recording timers and the like.
• In at least one embodiment, thetelevision receiver106 comprises a DVR operable to store received content for subsequent presentation to theuser116. For example, thetelevision receiver106 may receive and store television programs requested by auser116 for subsequent presentation. Such programs may be recorded responsive to recording timers set by theuser116 or a content provider or may alternatively be recorded responsive to input provided by theuser116 while watching content (e.g., theuser116 presses a record button while watching live television). Thetelevision receiver106 may also receive and store advertisements for subsequent presentation. For example, thetelevision receiver106 may receive and store advertisements which will subsequently be inserted into live or recorded content responsive to appropriate triggering information and/or other instructions associated with the content.
• Thepresentation device108 may comprise any type of device capable of receiving and outputting a video signal in any format. Exemplary embodiments of thepresentation device108 include a television, a computer monitor, a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, a touch screen and a projector. Thepresentation device108 and thetelevision receiver106 may be communicatively coupled through any type of wired or wireless interface. For example, thepresentation device108 may be communicatively coupled to thetelevision receiver106 through a coaxial cable, component or composite video cables, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) cable, a VGA or SVGA cable, a Bluetooth or WiFi wireless connection or the like. In some embodiments, thetelevision receiver106 and thepresentation device108 may be integrated as a device combining the functionality of a display device and a television receiver, such as a television with integrated CableCard functionality.
• Thepresentation device108 may be any device configured to receive an audio, video or audio/video stream from thetelevision receiver106 and present the content to auser116. Examples of thepresentation device108 include a television, a video monitor or similar device, audio receiver or the like capable of presenting audio and/or video content to theuser116.
• Thecommunication network110 is operable to communicatively couple thetelevision receiver106 to thesocial networking server112 and/or the advertising server114. In at least one embodiment, thecommunication network110 may also operate to communicatively couple thesocial networking server112 and the advertising server114. Thesocial networking server112 and the advertising server114 may be communicatively coupled to each other over the same or different communication network than the network coupling each device to thetelevision receiver106. Thecommunication network110 may utilize any desired combination of wired (e.g., cable and fiber) and/or wireless (e.g., cellular, wireless, satellite, microwave, and radio frequency) communication mediums and any desired network topology (or topologies when multiple mediums are utilized). Exemplary communication networks include wireless communication networks, public switched telephone networks (PSTN), and local area networks (LAN) or wide area networks (WAN) providing data communication services.
• Thesocial networking server112 is operable to maintain social network profiles and data regarding multiple users. For example, users may update their social network profiles via an internet web page or other appropriate software application operating on thetelevision receiver106, computers (not shown inFIG. 1), mobile telephones (not shown inFIG. 1) or the like. Thesocial networking server112 may then provide social network profile data or information derived therefrom to various communication devices, such as computers, mobile telephones, thetelevision receiver106 or the like. For example, thesocial networking server112 may aggregate user profile information (e.g., name, age, location, interests, job and school information and the like) and utilize such information to output user profiles for presentation by various output devices. Thesocial networking server112 may also maintain various public and non-public information, such as user status updates, user comments, user web browsing or search history, survey information, electronic messages and the like which thesocial networking server112 utilizes to maintain and generate social network profiles of users.
• The advertising server114 is operable to receive and process social network profile data received from thesocial networking server112 in order to identify advertisements for output by thetelevision receiver106 in association with other content. Such advertisements may be targeted to theuser116 based on various information included within or associated with the user's116 social network profile. In at least one embodiment, the advertising server114 receives information associating thetelevision receiver106 with the social network profile of theuser116. For example, theuser116 may provide input via an appropriate interface screen of thetelevision receiver106 identifying their social network profile. The identification data may then be transmitted from thetelevision receiver106 to the advertising server114 to associate thetelevision receiver106 with the social network profile of theuser116. The advertising server114 may also receive information from thesocial networking server112, theuser116 or a service provider specifying the social network profile of theuser116. The advertising server114 may then utilize the input to associate thetelevision receiver106 with thesocial networking server112.
• In operation, the advertising server114 receives social network profile data from thesocial networking server112 and processes the data to identify advertisement display criteria or advertisements for utilization by thetelevision receiver106. The advertising server114 may receive social network profile data on a periodic basis (e.g., according to a pre-determined schedule) or may alternatively receive and process the social network profile data in real-time or near real time (e.g., at the same time as users receive updated social network profile data from the social networking server112). In at least one embodiment, the advertising server114 may identify specific advertisements for output by thetelevision receiver106. Such advertisements may be intended for output in association with any content output by thetelevision receiver106 or specific instances of content, depending on desired design criteria. For example, theuser116 may be a fan of a specific sports team, and thus, thetelevision receiver106 may output advertisements for apparel related to the sports teams in association with any kind of content output by thetelevision receiver106. In another embodiment, thetelevision receiver106 may output an advertisement for a specific type of automobile that theuser116 is interested in purchasing, in association with automobile related programming, but may refrain from outputting the automobile advertisement in association with other programming, such as the news or a soap opera Likewise, if the social network profile data indicates that theuser116 is interested in purchasing a specific type of automobile, then the advertising server114 may select an advertisement for a competing automobile for presentation to theuser116. Thetelevision receiver106 may then output the advertisement for presentation by thepresentation device108.
• In at least one embodiment, responsive to identifying advertisements for output to theuser116, the advertising server114 is operable to transmit messages to thetelevision receiver106 specifying particular advertisements for output by thetelevision receiver106. Thetelevision receiver106 is operable to output the identified advertisements, in association with other content, at appropriate locations within the content. For example, advertisements may be inserted at the beginning of the content (e.g., pre-roll), at the end of the content (e.g., post-roll) or inserted at specific locations (e.g., inserted at pre-designated advertising breaks or other logical insertion locations). In at least one embodiment, the advertising server114 transmits the selected advertisements to thetelevision receiver106 through thecommunication network110. Thetelevision receiver106 may also receive advertisements from thecontent source102 via the television distribution system104 or from another server (not shown inFIG. 1) via thecommunication network110.
• For example, a particular advertising slot in a program may be assigned to a particular automobile manufacturer that advertises several different types of automobiles, such as a minivan, a sedan, a truck and a sports car. Based on processing of the social network profile data, the advertising server114 may determine that theuser116 is a truck person and select the truck advertisement for output by thetelevision receiver106. Thus, thetelevision receiver106 outputs the truck advertisement in the advertising slot as instructed by the advertising server114.
• In at least one embodiment, the advertising server114 transmits a specified advertisement (e.g., truck advertisement) to thetelevision receiver106 for storage and/or output. For example, thetelevision receiver106 may store the truck advertisement for presentation at appropriate times responsive to associated triggering information in live content. Thus, when thetelevision receiver106 processes the triggering information, then the truck advertisement is loaded from memory and output in the appropriate temporal location within the live content provided to thepresentation device108 for display to theuser116.
• In at least one embodiment, thetelevision receiver106 comprises a DVR and the truck advertisement is stored for output in association with recorded content when auser116 initiates playback of the recorded content. In at least one embodiment, thetelevision receiver106 receives the truck advertisement as a streaming transmission from the advertising server114 or thecontent source102. More particularly, thetelevision receiver106 receives the truck advertisement during output of live or recorded content at an appropriate time corresponding with the output location of the advertisement within the audio/video content. For example, thetelevision receiver106 may receive the streaming video transmission from the advertising server114 and pass through the corresponding content to thepresentation device108 for display. The streaming transmission to the television receiver114 may be initiated by the advertising server114 or may be initiated by thetelevision receiver106, depending on desired design criteria. For example, thetelevision receiver106 may query the advertising server114 to request streaming of the advertisement to thetelevision receiver106 at an appropriate time, such as responsive to triggering information in the audio/video stream. In one embodiment, the truck advertisement may be transmitted within a particular audio/video stream broadcast by the television distribution system104. Thetelevision receiver106 may tune to the associated audio/video stream of the advertisement at the appropriate time during output of television program content received in another audio/video stream.
• In at least one embodiment, thetelevision receiver106 may receive advertisement selection criteria from the advertising server114 for utilization in identifying an advertisement for output. For example, the advertisement selection criteria may be generated by the advertising server114 based on interests, demographics or other social network profile data of theuser116. The advertising selection criteria may then be utilized by thetelevision receiver106 to select an appropriate advertisement for output in association with particular content. Thus, thetelevision receiver106 may receive multiple advertisements and select one or more of the advertisements for output at a particular time based on the advertisement selection criteria and/or the content being output.
• For example, a particular advertising slot in a program may be assigned for output of a food related advertisement. Thus, if the user's116 favorite restaurant is ABC Burger, as specified in their social network profile data, then thetelevision receiver106 may output an advertisement for ABC Burger's competitor, XYZ Burger, based on the advertisement selection criteria. In a similar scenario, if the user's116 favorite food is a cheeseburger, then the advertisement selection criteria may specify their favorite food, such that thetelevision receiver106 may select and output an advertisement from ABC Burger for a different product. Thus, ABC Burger may attempt through the advertisement to get theuser116 interested in other products offered at the restaurant. In some embodiments, advertisements may be selected by thetelevision receiver106 for output based on a time of day in association with the processing of the social network profile. For example, in the morning, thetelevision receiver106 may output an advertisement for pancake sticks offered by ABC Burger, whereas in the evening, thetelevision receiver106 may output an advertisement for a bacon cheeseburger offered by ABC Burger.
• In at least one embodiment, the advertisements may be selected by the advertising server114 based on status updates of the user on their social network profile. For example, if theuser116 posts a social network profile update stating “I am hungry” while watching television, then the advertising server114 may instruct thetelevision receiver106 to output an advertisement for one of various restaurants in the area. Such advertisement selection may be further refined based on information in the user's116 social network profile. For example, if the user's favorite restaurant is ABC Burger, then thetelevision receiver106 may output an advertisement for their competitor, XYZ Burger, or for XYZ Pizza or even an advertisement for ABC Burger. It is to be appreciated that thetelevision receiver106 and/or the advertising server114 may apply any type of heuristic rules or other analysis techniques to select advertisements for output in association with other content based on social network profile data and other factors, such as time of day or the like.
• As described above, advertisements may be output by the television receiver at any appropriate location within live or recorded content. For example, advertisements may be output at the beginning or ending of recorded content output by thetelevision receiver106. In some embodiments, advertisements may be output to replace other advertisements in live or recorded content. For example, in live content, thecontent source102 may broadcast an original advertisement but may include triggering information allowing thetelevision receiver106 to replace the advertisement with a more targeted advertisement, if appropriate. Thetelevision receiver106 may then replace the advertisement with another advertisement stored on disk, received from the advertising server114 in a streaming transmission in substantially real-time or received from thecontent source102 via another channel of the television distribution system104.
• FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of an input audio/video stream200 received by thetelevision receiver106 from the television distribution system104. As illustrated inFIG. 2, the input audio/video stream200 includes afirst segment202 of a program, anoriginal advertisement204 and asecond segment206 of the program. Thefirst segment202 includes a beginningtemporal location210 and an endingtemporal location212. Thefirst segment202 also includes an intermediatetemporal location214 positioned between the beginningtemporal location210 and the endingtemporal location212.
• In at least one embodiment, thetelevision receiver106 operates to replace anoriginal advertisement204 with a substitute advertisement308 (seeFIG. 3). As illustrated inFIG. 3, theoutput video stream300 includes thefirst segment202, thesubstitute advertisement308 and thesecond segment206. Thus, theuser116 does not see theoriginal advertisement204, but rather sees thesubstitute advertisement308 instead. Because thesubstitute advertisement308 is selected for output based on processing of the social network profile data of theuser116, the advertisement is more likely to appeal to theuser116. In at least one embodiment, if the audio/video stream200 is content recorded by thetelevision receiver106, then thetelevision receiver106 may disable a trick play mode function during output of thesubstitute advertisement308. This prevents theuser116 from skipping over advertising material during playback of the audio/video stream300.
• In at least one embodiment, supplemental advertising may be inserted at locations other than original advertising breaks within recorded content. For example, the recorded audio/video content may include markers or other metadata specifying insertion locations for supplemental advertising. In at least one embodiment, thetelevision receiver106 may receive information separate from the audio/video content specifying temporal insertion locations of supplemental advertisements within the audio/video content.
• Responsive to a request to playback content, thetelevision receiver106 outputs the audio/video stream to thepresentation device108 for presentation to auser116. Thetelevision receiver106 operates to identify an intermediatetemporal location214 for insertion of the supplemental content. Thefirst segment202 may then be divided into discrete portions of content. The first portion includes the content between the beginningtemporal location210 and the intermediatetemporal location214. The second portion includes the content between the intermediatetemporal location214 and the endingtemporal location212. During output, the supplemental content is then inserted at the intermediatetemporal location214.
• FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of an output audio/video stream400 output by thetelevision receiver106 in accordance with the techniques described herein. As illustrated in the output audio/video stream400, thetelevision receiver106 operates to output thefirst segment202A between the beginningtemporal location210 and the intermediatetemporal location214. Thetelevision receiver106 then operates to output asupplemental advertisement408 for presentation by thepresentation device108. Following thesupplemental advertisement408, thetelevision receiver106 operates to output the remaining portion of thefirst segment202B between the intermediatetemporal location214 and the endingtemporal location212. Other content, such as theoriginal advertisement204 and thesecond segment206 may also be output by thetelevision receiver106 for presentation by thepresentation device108.
• Thus, thetelevision receiver106 operates to output other advertisements or content during playback of a recorded audio/video stream. In at least one embodiment, thetelevision receiver106 may disable a trick play mode function during output of thesupplemental advertisement408. This allows an advertiser to capture the attention of theuser116 during playback of the recorded audio/video stream400 at a different time than the original advertisement break and further avoids the problem of theuser116 skipping over advertising material during playback of the audio/video stream400.
• FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of the advertising server ofFIG. 1. Theserver114A will be described in reference to thecommunication system100 illustrated inFIG. 1. Theadvertising server114A includes acommunication interface502, astorage medium504 andcontrol logic506. Each of these components is discussed in greater detail below and theserver114A may include other components, elements or devices not illustrated for the sake of brevity.
• Thecommunication interface502 is operable to receive social network profile data from the social networking server114 (seeFIG. 1). More particularly, in at least one embodiment, thecommunication interface502 receives information identifying a social network profile associated with auser116 of thetelevision receiver106. Thecommunication interface602 then exchanges messages with thesocial networking server112 in order to receive the social network profile data associated with the identified social network profile. The social network profile data is then processed by thecontrol logic506 as described below to identify advertisements for output by the television receiver106 (seeFIG. 1). Thecommunication interface502 is also operable to communicate data to thetelevision receiver106 via thecommunication network110, such as metadata specifying advertisements for output by thetelevision receiver106 and/or the advertisements for output by thetelevision receiver106. In at least one embodiment, thecommunication interface502 may be communicatively coupled to thesocial networking server114A and thetelevision receiver106 through distinct communication networks.
• Thestorage medium504 is operable to store metadata regarding supplemental content, such as advertisements for output by thetelevision receiver106. For example, thestorage medium504 may store metadata describing various advertisements and the programs for which the advertisements will be output in association therewith by thetelevision receiver106. In at least one embodiment, thestorage medium504 may store various criteria associated with the advertisements specifying the conditions in which thetelevision receiver106 will output the advertisements in association with other content. For example, display criteria may include time of day, user demographic information, content topic and the like. Thecontrol logic506 may then process the criteria in association with the social network profile data to select an advertisement for output by thetelevision receiver106. Thestorage medium504 may also store the advertisements which are transmitted to thetelevision receiver106 through thecommunication network110.
• Thecontrol logic506 is operable to control the operation of theserver114A. More particularly, thecontrol logic506 is operable to process the social network data received from the social networking server112 (seeFIG. 1) and select advertisements or other supplemental content for output by thetelevision receiver106. Thecontrol logic506 may be a single processing device or a plurality of processing devices that cooperatively operate to control the operation of theserver114A.
• In at least one embodiment, thecontrol logic506 processes the social network profile data received from the social networking server512 to identify advertisements for output by thetelevision receiver106. Thecontrol logic506 then generates a message for transmission to thetelevision receiver106 via thecommunication interface502 specifying the criteria for display of a particular advertisement. For example, the advertisement may specify a particular product that theuser116 may be interested in based on their hobbies/interests or the like. Thetelevision receiver106 may be instructed to output the advertisement during a particular program. For example, an advertisement for a new toy may be output during playback of a cartoon (e.g., when a child is most likely watching the content), but may not be output during playback of a basketball game, when theuser116 is more likely an adult).
• In at least one embodiment, thecontrol logic506 may identify multiple advertisements and transmit a message to thetelevision receiver106 specifying the display criteria. For example, the message may specify multiple restaurant advertisements and thetelevision receiver106 may output one of the advertisements based on the criteria at a specific time of the day (e.g., dinner time).
• In at least one embodiment, thetelevision receiver106 ofFIG. 1 may be embodied in a DVR operable to record television programming and other content for subsequent presentation to theuser116.FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of aDVR106A. TheDVR106A will be described in the reference to thecommunication system100 ofFIG. 1. TheDVR106A includes acommunication interface602, aninput interface604, astorage medium606 andcontrol logic608. Each of these components is discussed in greater detail below and theDVR106A may include other components, elements or devices not illustrated for the sake of brevity.
• Thecommunication interface602 is operable to receive an audio/video input stream610 from the television distribution system104. More particularly, in at least one embodiment, thecommunication interface602 receives and tunes a television signal including television programming. Thecommunication interface602 may receive an over-the-air (OTA) broadcast, a direct broadcast satellite signal, a cable television signal or an internet protocol television (IPTV) signal and tune the audio/video input stream610 to extract the selected television programming. In at least one embodiment, thecommunication interface602 may include multiple tuners, utilized by theDVR106A to output and/or record multiple television programs simultaneously.
• Thecommunication interface602 is further operable to receivesupplemental content612 from an external source. For example, thecommunication interface602 may receive thesupplemental content612 from either thecontent source102 via the television distribution system104 or from the advertising server114 via thecommunication network110. Thecommunication interface602 may also receive other data, such as advertising selection criteria, from the advertising server114, which is utilized by thecontrol logic608 to identifysupplemental content612 for output. In at least one embodiment, thecommunication interface602 is operable to exchange socialnetwork profile data614 with thesocial networking server112. For example, thecommunication interface602 may download socialnetwork profile data614 from thesocial networking server112 or may upload socialnetwork profile data614, such as profile updates, to thesocial networking server112 for propagation across the social network.
• In at least one embodiment, thecommunication interface602 may include a network interface, such as a WiFi transceiver or Ethernet interface for communication with thecommunication network110. Furthermore, thecommunication interface602 may include any number of discrete communication interfaces to exchange data with external sources, such as the television distribution system104, thesocial networking server112 and/or the advertising server114. For example, thecommunication interface602 may include a satellite television tuner to receive content from a satellite television distribution network and may include a network interface to receive content from a discrete data communication network, such as a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN).
• Theinput interface604 is operable to wirelessly receive data from a remote control or other input device (not shown inFIG. 1). Theinput interface604 may communicate with a remote control utilizing any type of IR and/or RF communication link. In at least one embodiment, theinput interface604 receives a key code from a remote control and responsively provides the key code to thecontrol logic608 for processing. The data received from the remote control may be utilized by thecontrol logic608 to control the output of content by thecontrol logic608. Some of the data received by theinput interface604 may request to view electronic programming guide data, menus and the like.
• Thestorage medium606 is operable to persistently store video signals recorded by theDVR106A. Thestorage medium606 may comprise any type of non-volatile memory appropriate for storing video signals recorded by theDVR106A.Exemplary storage mediums606 include hard drives (e.g., magnetic memory), flash memory, battery backed up memory and the like. In at least one embodiment, thestorage medium606 may be internally located within theDVR106A. In other embodiments, the storage medium406 may be located external with respect to theDVR106A. TheDVR106A may also utilize a combination of internal andexternal storage mediums606 for storage of video signals. In at least one embodiment, thestorage medium606 is operable to store thesupplemental content612, advertising selection criteria, other metadata and/or the socialnetwork profile data614 for subsequent processing and output to the presentation device108 (seeFIG. 1).
• Thecontrol logic608 is operable to control the operation of theDVR106A and output of content therefrom. Thecontrol logic608 may be a single processing device or a plurality of processing devices that cooperatively operate to control the operation of theDVR106A. Thecontrol logic608 may include various components or modules for processing and outputting audio/video content. Exemplary components or modules for processing audio/video content include a demodulator, a decoder, a decompressor, a conditional access module and a transcoder module.
• Thecontrol logic608 coordinates storage of the audio/video input stream610 onto thestorage medium606. More particularly, thecontrol logic608 operates responsive to recording timers configured on theDVR106A or other input (either supplied by auser116 or content provider) to command thecommunication interface602 to receive content from a specified channel and coordinates storage of the content onto thestorage medium606. In at least one embodiment, thecontrol logic608 is operable to coordinate the storage of thesupplemental content612 for subsequent processing and utilization. For example, the advertising server114 (seeFIG. 1) may transmit a particular advertisement to theDVR106A that corresponds with a particular program stored thereupon. In one scenario, thecommunication interface602 may receive thesupplemental content612 which includes an advertisement that may be outputted in association with any content output by theDVR106A. Thecommunication interface602 may also receive a plurality of advertisements, which are stored by thestorage medium606 for subsequent playback. Thecontrol logic608 may then perform appropriate processing of thesocial networking data614, advertisement selection criteria and/or metadata associated with the audio/video input stream610 to select an appropriate advertisement for output in association with the audio/video input stream610.
• In at least one embodiment, thecontrol logic608 is operable to generate an audio/video output stream616 based on the audio/video input stream610, e.g., pass through the signal for display by an associatedpresentation device108. Thecontrol logic608 is also operable to retrieve stored video content from thestorage medium606 to generate an audio/video output stream616 for presentation by thepresentation device108. As described above, thecontrol logic608 is operable to identify a location within the audio/video input stream610 for insertion of thesupplemental content612 during output of the audio/video output stream616. Thepresentation device108 then presents the audio/video output stream614 to theuser116. Thecontrol logic608 may incorporate circuitry to output audio/video streams in any format recognizable by thepresentation device108, including composite video, component video, Digital Visual Interface (DVI), High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI),1394 and WiFi Thecontrol logic608 may also incorporate circuitry to support multiple types of these or other audio/video formats. In at least one embodiment, as described above, theDVR106A may be integrated with thepresentation device108, and thecontrol logic608 may be operable to control the presentation of the audio/video output stream614 by thepresentation device108.
• As described above, thecontrol logic608 may process thesocial networking data614 to select an appropriate advertisement for output in the audio/video output stream616. Thecontrol logic608 may apply any type of heuristic rules or other analysis to thesocial networking data614 in order to select an advertisement for output in the audio/video output stream616. For example, any of the data analysis techniques described above in reference to the advertising server114 may also be performed by thecontrol logic608 to select an advertisement for output. Thus, in at least one embodiment, theDVR106A may select advertisements for output without receiving any data from the advertising server114.
• FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a process for identifying television advertisements for output by a television receiver. Particularly, the process ofFIG. 7 may be operated by an external device, such as an advertising server, to identify advertisements for output by a television receiver and transmit instructions to the television receiver identifying the advertisements for output. The process ofFIG. 7 may include other operations not illustrated for the sake of brevity.
• The process includes receiving information, at a server, identifying a social network profile associated with a user of a television receiver (operation702). The method further includes receiving social network profile data, associated with the social network profile, at the server (operation704). For example, an advertising server may query a social networking server to receive social network profile associated with the social network profile identified inoperation702.
• The process further includes processing the social network profile data, at the server, to identify at least one advertisement for output by the television receiver (operation706). The process further includes transmitting information, specifying the identified advertisement, to the television receiver (operation708). In at least one embodiment,operation708 includes receiving a message, at the server, from the television receiver, the message requesting specification of advertisement material for insertion within an audio/video stream. Responsive to the message, the server transmits information identifying the advertisement to the television receiver. The process may optionally include transmitting the identified advertisement, from the server to the television receiver, in association with the identifying information (operation710). The television receiver operates to output the identified advertisement in association with other content.
• FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of a process for presenting a recorded audio/video stream. More particularly, the process ofFIG. 8 is directed at inserting advertisements within recorded audio/video content. The process ofFIG. 8 may include other operations not illustrated for the sake of brevity.
• The method includes receiving an audio/video stream using a communication interface of a television receiver/DVR (operation802). The audio/video stream includes at least one segment of content having a beginning temporal location and an ending temporal location. The process further includes recording the audio/video stream onto a storage medium associated with the television receiver (operation804). The process further includes receiving a request to playback the audio/video stream (operation806). For example, a user may select the audio/video stream for output using a remote control to navigate an available recordings selection menu screen.
• The process further includes identifying an intermediate temporal location in the audio/video stream, associated with the segment of the program, for insertion of supplemental content (operation808). The intermediate temporal location is between the beginning temporal location and the ending temporal location. Thus, the intermediate location divides the segment into at least two portions of content. For example, the supplemental content may be utilized to add to the length of the recorded audio/video stream (e.g., insert supplemental advertisements) or may be utilized to replace portions of content in the recorded audio/video stream. In at least one embodiment, the television receiver receives metadata specifying the intermediate location.
• The process further includes receiving the supplemental content (operation810). The supplemental content may be received before, after or simultaneously with the request to playback the content. In at least one embodiment, the television receiver may receive the supplemental content prior to receiving the audio/video stream inoperation802.
• Responsive to the request, the process further includes outputting the segment of the program, between the beginning temporal location and the intermediate temporal location, for presentation by a presentation device (operation812). The process further includes outputting the supplemental content, following the intermediate temporal location, for presentation by the presentation device (operation814). In at least one embodiment, a television receiver may disable a trick play mode function (e.g., fast forward, reverse, skip ahead or the like) during output of the supplemental content. Following the output of the supplemental content, the process includes outputting the segment of the program, between the intermediate temporal location and the ending temporal location, for presentation by the presentation device (operation816).
• In at least one embodiment, the television receiver may identify another temporal location subsequent to the intermediate temporal location. The television receiver may alternatively begin playback of the segment of the program from the other temporal location rather than the intermediate temporal location inoperation816. Thus, the television receiver operates to replace a portion of the audio/video stream with the supplemental content rather than augmenting the recorded content with the supplemental content. It is to be appreciated that any number of portions of supplemental content may be inserted within a recorded audio/video stream during output depending on desired design criteria. Thus,operations808 through816 may be performed multiple times depending on the number of supplemental content instances to be shown during output of the recorded audio/video stream.
• Although specific embodiments were described herein, the scope of the invention is not limited to those specific embodiments. The scope of the invention is defined by the following claims and any equivalents therein.

Claims (20)

1. A method of identifying television advertisements for output by a television receiver, the method comprising:

receiving information, at a server, identifying a social network profile associated with a user of a television receiver;

receiving social network profile data, associated with the social network profile, at the server;

processing the social network profile data, at the server, to identify at least one advertisement for output by the television receiver; and

transmitting information, specifying the identified advertisement, to the television receiver, the television receiver operating to output the identified advertisement in association with other content.

2. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the identified advertisement, from the server to the television receiver, in association with the identifying information.

3. The method ofclaim 2, further comprising:

receiving a message, at the server, from the television receiver, the message requesting specification of advertisement material for insertion within an audio/video stream;

wherein the server transmits the identified advertisement to the television receiver responsive to the message.

4. The method ofclaim 3, wherein the television receiver outputs the identified advertisement during a live broadcast of the audio/video stream.

5. The method ofclaim 3, wherein the television receiver stores the audio/video stream for subsequent playback and outputs the identified advertisement during output of the recorded audio/video stream.

6. A server comprising:

a communication interface that receives information identifying a social network profile associated with a user of a television receiver and that receives social network profile data associated with the social network profile from a social networking server;

a storage medium operable to store metadata associated with a plurality of advertisements; and

control logic operable to process the social network profile data to identify at least one of the advertisements for output by the television receiver and generate a message for transmission to the television receiver, the message specifying the identified advertisement for output by the television receiver;

the communication interface operable to transmit the message to the television receiver.

7. The server ofclaim 6, wherein the storage medium is further operable to store the plurality of advertisements and the control logic is operable to coordinate transfer of the identified advertisement from the storage medium to the television receiver via the communication interface.

8. The server ofclaim 6, wherein the television receiver outputs the identified advertisement in association with an audio/video stream and the control logic identifies the identified advertisement and initiates transfer of the message to the television receiver prior to output of the audio/video stream by the television receiver.

9. The server ofclaim 8, wherein the message identifies a temporal output location of the identified advertisement during playback of the audio/video stream by the television receiver.

10. The server ofclaim 6, wherein the television receiver outputs the identified advertisement in association with an audio/video stream and the control logic coordinates streaming of the identified advertisement to the television receiver during playback of the audio/video stream by the television receiver.

11. The server ofclaim 6, wherein the control logic identifies at least one product brand included in the social network profile data and identifies the advertisement based on a competing product of the product brand.

12. The server ofclaim 6, wherein the control logic identifies at least one status update included in the social network profile data and identifies the advertisement based on the status update.

13. A digital video recorder comprising:

a communication interface that receives an audio/video stream, the audio/video stream including at least one segment of a program and at least one interstitial of the program and that further receives social network profile data associated with a user of the digital video recorder;

a storage medium; and

control logic operable to:

coordinate storage of the audio/video stream onto the storage medium;

receive a request to playback the audio/video stream;

process the social network profile data to identify an advertisement for output in association with the audio/video stream;

output the audio/video stream for presentation by a presentation device; and

output the advertisement in association with the audio/video stream for presentation by the presentation device.

14. The digital video recorder ofclaim 13, wherein the control logic is operable to identify a temporal location, within the audio/video stream, for insertion of the advertisement and output the advertisement at the temporal location within the audio/video stream.

15. The digital video recorder ofclaim 13, wherein the audio/video stream includes at least one segment of a program, having a beginning temporal location and an ending temporal location and at least one original advertisement temporally adjacent to the beginning temporal location or the ending temporal location of the segment and wherein the control logic is operable to identify an intermediate temporal location in the audio/video stream, associated with the segment of the program, for insertion of the identified advertisement, the intermediate temporal location positioned in the audio/video stream between the beginning temporal location and the ending temporal location.

16. The digital video recorder ofclaim 13, wherein the communication interface receives the social network profile data from a social networking server.

17. The digital video recorder ofclaim 13, wherein the control logic is operable to output an interface, soliciting identifying information regarding the user of the digital video recorder and the communication interface is operable to transmit the identifying information to the social networking server.

18. The digital video recorder ofclaim 13, further comprising an input interface that receives the social network profile data from a user, the control logic operable to process the social network profile data and initiate transmission of the social network profile data to a social networking server via the communication interface.

19. The digital video recorder ofclaim 13, wherein the control logic is operable to disable a trick play mode during output of the identified advertisement.

20. The digital video recorder ofclaim 13, wherein the control logic identifies the identified advertisement prior to output of the audio/video stream by the television receiver.

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